Daughter
by Cherry Studios
Summary: [PostMovie!] Edward and Alphonse are still in Germany. Edward is now married to Winry's alter, and also has a child named Trisha .. but Edward and Alter!Winry's love is not pure ..
1. Daughter

**Nyago: **A few days ago, I had this crazy idea to write a fanfic dedicate to FMA but after the movie ended, so I asked my friend Taco to work it with me and to say the least I was impress. This fanfic in time due, will be explained, for now bare with us as we tried to unlock the plot and the characters to everyone linking. BTW Trisha is Edward and Alter Winry Daughter (Not real in the anime so she is ours!) Also please be aware this DOES contain spoilers, so read at your own risk.

**Taco:** -whispers- I'm spoiling myself while writing this! -laughs- Anyway, we hope you enjoy it:D We had lots of fun writing it.

**Disclaimer:** We do not own anything.

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"Daughter"

By: Nyago & Fullmetal Ai (Cherry Studios)

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"DAADDY!" The voice of a young girl broke into the thoughts of one Edward Elric. The young man looked up, greeting the girl with a smile as he watched her run towards him, her feet trotting slowly through the freshly fallen snow. Edward laughed; his daughter was just too cute for her own good.

"Hey, what's wrong, Trisha?" He asked gently, reaching down to pick the small girl up as she ran into his arms.

"Daddy, its snow! It's snow! Let's go play!" Trisha giggled, wriggling in her father's grasp to get out.

Edward smile at his little girl as she tugged his arm to come play with her. "Calm down" He laughed, "The snow isn't going anywhere for a while".

Trisha turns around and gave her father her irritated look, the one Edward did so much when he didn't get anything he wanted. Like father and Daughter, Trisha was almost a perfect copy of Edward, looks, personality all expect gender..."But it will melt sooner or later!" And she was just as smart mouth as he was.

Edward opened his mouth to scold his young offspring, but another soft, feminine voice interrupted before he could get even a sound out.

"Trisha, you know better than to talk back to your father!" A woman with long, blonde hair said from her seat on the porch. Edward looked to the woman and smiled, halfway between 'thanks,' and 'I could have done that!'. The woman smiled and nodded in return. Trisha frowned at her mother for a moment, looking as if she were going to burst out in complaints, but instead sighed and nodded her head.

"Yes ma'am ..." Trisha said quietly, then looked back to her father with a grin, jumping up and grabbing a hold of his arm once more.

"Come on, Daddy! The snow is going to melt! We've got to play in the snow while we can!" Edward chuckled a little, finally giving in to this little girl who could melt even his heart, even if she was a little copy of him.

Trisha smile as she drags her father along with her, "I know this great place we could have a snow fight!" She was excited to play in the snow, especially if it meant spending time with her father. He was always busy and usually never home, just like his mother.

They both work tirelessly to provide food for their family; Edward was a college professor and Winry was a pretty popular singer down at a small restaurant near where Al worked. Of course out of the two, Uncle Al was the only one who came to frequently visit and spend the most time with her. It was the only way to keep Trisha for not hating her parents, not that she could ever do but Edward was concern.

His childhood wasn't the best one…and he doesn't want his only daughter hating him now, just like he hated his old man until he die.

"Daddy?" Once again, Trisha's small voice broke Edward out of his thoughts. Edward looked down to the concerned face of his daughter, and then smiled to reassure her. Trisha's bright smile immediately came back, and she ran off further into the snow. The girl knelt down, collecting a handful of snow and curling it into a ball, then packing more snow on the ball that she already had. Edward smirked, realizing where she was going to throw first, and quietly snuck away before she could finish making her snowball.

Trisha looked up, confused as to the whereabouts of her father. A pout appeared on her face as she realized that he had snuck off again. Suddenly, there was movement in a nearby bush, and Trisha's grin returned.

"I've got you, Daddy!" She shrieked, throwing her snowball towards the bush; the snowball hit it's target, but the target was not who she thought it was...

"Trisha! What was that for?" Alphonse Elric, Trisha's uncle, groaned playfully as he came out from behind the bush. He grinned, glancing at the shocked little girl, who then grinned in return and ran to hug her favorite uncle.

"Uncle Aru!" She yelled in excitement, having her father here was great but having Uncle as well was wonderful. Giving him the tightest hug she could ever offer she grinned as she looks at him with curious eyes. "Why are you here Uncle Aru?" She questioned.

"Ah, well your mother told me you would be here with my brother so I though of sneaking around to see you, of course you found me before I could get a chance to surprise you." Al smile, he loved his niece with all his heart and soul, she was the only family next to his brother he ever had.

Trisha giggles as she finally let go, and embrace herself lightly in his arms. "I was trying to find daddy…" she spoke looking around for her missing father. "Wonder where he when…" she whispers, sucking her thumb.

Unlike aware of the two, Edward was close by and closing in, grabbing a hand full of snow, he threw one lightly towards his daughter head and another one to Al.

"Hey!" His brother protested, turning around to see who attacked them. "No fair brother!"

Edward laughed as Trisha yelled, "I DECLARE SNOW FIGHT!"

Alphonse grinned and lifted Trisha off of the ground, running with her in his arms while Edward threw snowball after snowball at the two. Suddenly, the snowballs stopped, and Alphonse turned around so that he and Trisha both saw that Edward had hidden himself again. Trisha looked up to her Uncle, confused.

"Where did Daddy go this time, Uncle Aru?" She asked. Al grinned, then began walking again, pretending to look for his brother.

"I don't know, Trisha ... your father is very good at hiding himself. I think it's because he's so small, he can fit into the spaces easily!"

.. That did it. A fuming Edward Elric came out from behind another snowy bush, fire in his eyes from the 'insult' that his younger brother had intentionally thrown at him.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT HE COULD BE FRIENDS WITH AN ATOM MOLECULE?" Edward yelled furiously, running after his brother and daughter, throwing snowball after snowball at them once more as payback.

Trisha laughed as she tries to get away from the rage of her father, who was so sensitive about his height. Sometimes she wonders what he would do once she grew taller than he was. After all Winry was taller than he was, by at least good 4 inches. Building herself a defense castle with her uncle, they prepare to attack their current enemy; Edward.

"Bombs away!" Trisha yelled as she threw a huge amount of snow to her father face. No time to recover, Al send another snow ball to his brother, as both sunk Edward with snow. "I think we over did it…?" Al pointed out, getting up from where he stood and walking towards the now pile of snow that Edward lay in. "Brother?" Al questioned, trying to dig for his brother.

"Daddy!" Trisha yelled, hopping and hopping to where Al was located. Soon after she began to dig with him as they looked for missing father. "Daddy!" Trisha began to yell louder. No trace of Edward was found, that's until Al face landed in the snow with a proud Ed behind him. "Serves you right!" He said, holding onto another snow ball.

Trisha turn around ran towards her father, "Daddy!" She screams, tugging herself in his legs. "Hey sweetheart it was only a tease!" Edward bends and lifted his 4 year old daughter. Was…she crying?

"Daddy, I-I thought you were g-gone f-forever ..." Trisha stuttered, placing her arms around his neck and crying even more than she already was. Edward held his daughter in his arms, patting her back to comfort her as she cried into his shoulder. Al sat up and watched the two. There was no doubt in his mind that his older brother was a wonderful father, even though it was unexpected to most who knew him. Trisha seemed to care a lot about her father as well. Al kept on watching the father-daughter moment taking place in front of him, shifting his gaze to see Ed's expression; Ed's face was solemn, as if experiencing a memory of some sort. Al knew exactly what he was thinking about.

"Mother .." Al whispered, and then shook his head, standing and walking over to the two.

"I think we should get back to the house, Brother. Trisha's had enough fun for one day, and besides, if we stay out here any longer, we'll catch a cold."

Ed nods his head in agreement, as he carries his daughter in his arms. Too afraid to let go, Trisha held onto Edward even tighter, "Sweetheart, is ok, I am here and I promise not to scare you like that again…" He whisper, stroking his daughter head gently.

Winry, who was currently reading a book from the bench, saw in distance as Edward carried their daughter back to where she sat. "Snow fight ended so soon?" She replied, settling the book down on her legs.

"Ah…" Edward began to speak but was cut short by Al.

"Trisha just got a bit tired that's all" He smiles. He didn't want her mother knowing that his brother probably play the dirtiest trick on his daughter, they might argue again, not that, it was anything new.

Satisfied with the answer, Winry stood up from her chair and walked side by side of her husband and daughter.

Ed walked quickly into the house, Winry and Al following close behind. Once inside, they all went their separate ways; Al went to take a shower, Winry went to the kitchen to cook their dinner, and Ed went into the living room with his daughter. Ed set Trisha down onto her feet, watching as the girl's small hand rubbed at her eye, trying to wipe away all of the tears she was recently crying. Edward smiled and began unbuttoning his daughter's winter coat, laying it near a source of heat so that it would dry quicker. He looked to Trisha, noticing that she was looking at him with a sad expression. Edward patted the girl on her head.

"I'm not going anywhere, Trisha. I promise." Trisha gave a small smile, and then yawned. Ed chuckled.

"Are you ready to go to sleep, sweetie?"

"No, I can stay up ..." Trisha mumbled, obviously very tired from the day's events.

"It's almost bedtime for you anyway. Let's go get you cleaned up, dear ..." Winry said, peeking into the room from the kitchen door. Trisha looked to her mother and smiled sleepily.

"Awright, Mommy ..." And with that, Winry came over and scooped the young girl into her arms, taking her to her room to get her ready for her bath, and to possibly yell for Al to get out of the shower. She didn't have to, however; Al came out right after Winry had taken Trisha to her room, wearing only a T-Shirt and Boxers and quickly brushing his short hair with another towel. He looked to his brother, who was watching the fire in the fireplace thoughtfully.

"Miss her, don't you?" Al said, taking a seat next to his brother on the couch. Ed looked to his brother, his face twisted into an unfamiliar expression. He knew exactly who his brother was talking about; The Winry that was his wife right now was not the Winry they used to know.

" .. I don't know who you're talking about, Al."

Al gave him a funny look as he sat next to his brother, "I know you love Trisha but you don't love this Winry." He was so blunt.

Edward sighed and rubs his neck with his human arm, "I do love her…"

"No you don't, the reason you married her because of Trisha and because she looked so much like our Winry, don't try to deny it." He replied.

Edward remained silent, "I don't know what to think anymore, I love Trisha, and she is our daughter, but…"

"Your love between the two of you isn't pure is it?" Al could read him like a book. Edward nod in agreement. "God…" He cursed.

"Brother…" Al reaches up to touch his brother shoulders, sensing his tense and depression. "I am sure…it will work itself out."

Winry had just laid Trisha down for bed, and had made sure that she was fully asleep before walking back to tell her husband and brother-in-law that all was well with Trisha. She stopped as she heard the brothers talking, however; she didn't mean to eavesdrop, but she couldn't help it.

"Brother ... Did you love our Winry, I mean, the one back home?" Al asked curiously.

" .. I don't know, Al. When I saw the Winry here, though, I felt... I... It's hard to explain. And then this happens, Trisha is born... and you know that I love Trisha so much that I would die for her, but I'm not sure if I love this Winry the same way .. Or our Winry, either." Edward sighed. "I hate being torn like this." Al smiled.

"You're doing a good thing, being here for Trisha. She needs her father." Ed snorted.

"Yeah, well you don't expect me to be like those bastard fathers of ours now, do you?" he said coldly. Al sighed.

"Brother, our father wasn't that bad ..."

Winry couldn't take anymore of the conversation. She quietly left her spot where she was listening, walking quickly to the room she shared with Ed, all the while and thinking of what she had just heard.

" .. Do I really love him?" She asked herself as she lowered herself into her bed, closing her eyes in an attempt to get to sleep.

It was going to be a long night. Or at least, for Winry.

**_-end of chapter-_**

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**Nyago: **How do you like it:D Reviews are ALWAYS nice, so COMMENT and we might continue…-giggles-

**Taco:** And we got one review that corrected a few things, thank you! To clear one thing up, Trisha calls Alphonse 'Uncle Aru,' because .. well, you know how really young children have a hard time pronouncing their family members' names sometimes, and the names that they give them kind-of stick from one time to another? That's the case with Trisha and Al. :D Trisha had a hard time pronouncing Al's name when she was younger (not too much younger, though; she's only four years old in this fic), and the name 'Uncle Aru' kind-of stuck. :D So there is the explamation behind that. n.n Thank you for pointing that out, and i'm glad you like it so far! n.n


	2. Goodbye

**Chapter 2 is up and running :D Like always, we own NOTHING.**

**_Daughter  
Chapter Two: "Good Bye"  
By: Nyago & Full Metal Ai (Cherry Studios)_**

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The dark clouds of the winter morning came closer together, signaling a gloomy and downright terrible day. Snow began to fall, sweet and silent as the night. Winry, who was currently tossing in her bed while she slept, woke herself up with a start and looked around the room to make sure her dream wasn't real. Gasping for air, she lifted her skinny pale fingers towards her face as tears from her eyes began to form. 

Looking around the room to make sure Edward wasn't woken by her sudden movement, she walked out of the room and downstairs to the living room for her own comfort. She couldn't stay with Edward anymore, he thought of her as a girl that haunted his past. How can she love a man that doesn't love her? But she does…and that's what pained her. Walking towards the sofa, she saw a familiar picture frame that stood near the table next to the sofa where she was currently located. She picked up the frame as if it would be the end of the world if she touched it.

"Oh, this…" She spoke her thoughts out loud as she looked at the image. Inside the frame was a picture of her, Edward, Trisha and Al when Trisha was 2 years old, and wanted to go to the carnival near their house. She was so excited to go and she could remember Trisha's demanding words…

'_I am old enough!' She shouted, giving her parents a guilty look._

_Edward gave a small smile to his young daughter as she hurriedly explained her reasoning behind going to the carnival after her most recent outburst. This could go on for hours, especially when Trisha wanted something. _

_"Look, Trisha ... you have to be a certain height to go on some of the rides ..." _

_Trisha looked confused for a moment then nodded. _

_"Okay, Daddy. I'll wait until I'm taller," She said cheerfully, then skipped out of the room happily. Edward chuckled, Winry laughed, and Alphonse smirked, all of them returning to what they were doing before. About five minutes later, Winry felt a tug on her dress, and she looked down to her little girl. _

_"Trisha? What's wrong, sweetie?" Trisha looked excited. _

_"Mommy, mommy! Am I taller now?" Winry stared at Trisha for another moment, then laughed, kneeling and patting her on the head. _

_"I don't know ... Edward? Does Trisha look taller to you?" Edward looked over from where he sat, staring at Trisha with a decisive look on his face. He then smiled widely, standing and kneeling next to the girl. _

_"You know ... she does! She looks tall enough to.. oh.. Let's say... Go to that Carnival?" Edward said with a grin, which made Trisha jump up and down, clapping her hands in excitement. _

_"Let's go, let's go!" Trisha shrieked, grabbing her father's hand and leading her to the door. Winry laughed and went to the closet to retrieve the family's coats, and to yell for Alphonse to come downstairs. _

They ended up having one of the most wonderful times of their lives at the carnival that night. But nobody had the heart to tell Trisha that she hadn't grown an inch.

Winry smiled sadly at the memory, placing the picture frame back onto the table. Those times were gone now, and she knew it. She knew now... Edward didn't love her. She wasn't sure if she could stay with a man who didn't love her, even if they did have a child together. She knew that she needed time to sort things out.. She had to do it away from Edward and Trisha, though. Winry knew this. She couldn't have anything in her way to make her believe one way or another, so it was then she had decided.

Winry made her way to the phone, and dialed a number. She waited for a moment, and then spoke.

"Hello, Mother? Yes, it's me. I thought... I would pay you and Father a visit ..."

Nodding her head in agreement, she said her final words before putting the phone back onto the receiver. "I should start packing." She spoke out loud. Gathering her strength she headed towards the room she and Edward were currently located. Once she entered the room, though, she found herself a big surprise.

"Edward.." She whispered.

"Are you ok?" He asked, she could tell he wasn't asleep at all; instead he lay there wide awake looking at her with worried eyes.

"I-I am fine" Winry replied, walking towards the closet and gathering a small suitcase. "I will be going home for a few days…"

Edward gasped. _What's with the sudden change?_ He wondered. "Why…?" He asked, watching as she began to pack her stuff.

"I just need time to think…"

"You can think at home all you want"

"Is not the same with you around..."

Edward remained silent for a minute before speaking, "Yo-you heard?" He almost choked on his words. Winry nods her head, "Winry I don't-"

"You don't what Edward? Love me? I know, I heard all about it earlier, but I am not going to discuss this with you at this hour. besides, Trisha is asleep."

"But"

"No, enough. I am sick of hearing your excuses Edward, I am sick of them," Tears began to form, as they streamed down her face softly. "I… I need to go"

"Winry, please reconsider ... Trisha needs you here, what will I say to her when she notices you're go-"

"She'll be fine, Edward! She's got you and your brother. You two are enough, and it's not like I'll never see her again. I just need to think about things a little more, okay?" Winry explained as she stuffed clothes into her suitcase.

"Winry, she needs you! She needs her mother, just as much as she needs her Father, or even her Uncle!" Edward yelled. Winry spun around.

"Edward Elric, if you yell like that one more time, I swear that I will clonk you in the head," Winry hissed. "For all you know, you could have woken Trisha up, and God knows she needs her rest." Edward opened his mouth to say something, and then shut it again.

"Now, I am going to be spending a while at my parents' house. I don't know when I'll be back, but you will know when I'm home," Winry continued, closing her suitcase with a click that made it seem that even the suitcase was angry at Edward.

"And how will you know if something goes wrong with Trisha?" Edward asked.

"I've left the number by the phone. I warn you, though. Don't call unless it's an emergency." Winry lugged her heavy suitcase over to the door, trying to get out of the house as quickly as possible.

"But ... Winry, please ..." Edward tried one more time.

"There's no changing my mind, Edward. Now, if you don't mind, I have a train to catch."

"Can I at least help you with your bag?" Edward tried again.

"No, Edward. I can handle myself quite well. I'll see you whenever." And with that, Winry was out the door, headed towards the train station. Edward watched her go for a while, and then stepped back inside of the house, closing the door behind him and leaning against it with a sigh.

"Damn it ..." He breathed.

Unaware of his surroundings, Alphonse Elric, Edward's younger brother, stepped down stairs to see what was all the racket was about. "Brother?" He rubbed his eye lid with his left hand as he looked around to see Edward closing the front door and quietly standing there, cursing under his breath.

"Oh Al…" Ed responded as he turned his head to face him. "Did I wake you?"

"Sort of..." Al said childishly, walking down the staircase and standing next to his brother. "Something wrong?" He wondered.

"She heard us…" Ed began as Al eyes widened.

"She what?"

"Shhh. You will wake Trisha, and yes she heard about it." He said flatly as if he didn't care.

"But brother…"

Ed closed his eyes and tightened his fists, "I am such a fool…I should have told her" Al stared at him with sad eyes, "Brother…"

The two stayed quiet for a moment before Al spoke again. "Brother ... How are we going to tell this to Trisha? She's only four, she might not understand ..." Ed sighed.

"We'll find a way ... I'm going to hate seeing her cry, though ..." Alphonse nodded.

"We're both going to hate seeing her cry. But Winry will be back, right?" Edward nodded.

"She'll be back ... and Trisha is a strong girl, she won't be crying for long."

"Or she won't be crying at all. Trisha is just like her father." Alphonse pointed out. Edward looked shocked for a moment, and then began to walk torwards the living room.

"Not Quite."

Walking up the stairs, Alphonse headed towards his room and waved good night, "See you tomorrow morning…" He replied, closing the door behind him. Ed decides before going to bed to take a good look at Trisha before walking back to his room.

Sound asleep as her mother left, Ed walked quietly inside the room and kneeled down next to her bed, grabbing her small hands with his, "I must be a horrible father to you…" He whispered, using his Automail arm to remove some of the hair that was blocking his daughter cute sleeping face. Trisha stirred in her sleep, mumbling words while she did so. "Dadd.y….mommy..." she spoke.

Edward smile as he watched his daughter sleep, getting up, he let go of his daughter's hand and walked out of the room. Heading toward his room. He closed the door behind him and fell onto his bed.

Sighing, he looked to his right to check the clock, 3:50 AM.

Edward tossed for about an hour later before finally falling into a restless sleep.

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**Winry had been waiting for the train now for almost two hours. She had left the house in such a rage; she didn't realize that the next train wasn't until 5:30 AM. The train was just now arriving, and she had never felt more relieved in her life that she was boarding one. As she heard the conductor call for everyone to board, she stood; handing her bag to someone to be stored in luggage, then began to board the train. As she stepped through the door, she turned around for one last look at the place she had once loved so much, remembering the god times, and the bad. After her one last look at Munich, she stepped all the way into the train, headed towards her seat, with the hopes of finally being able to think all of this through. 

What she didn't know was that she would never get the chance to...

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"BROTHER!" Alphonse yelled as he burst into Ed's room. "BROTHER, WAKE UP!" Edward awoke with a start, looking to his younger brother curiously. 

"Brother ..." He quieted down, so he wouldn't wake up Trisha, "There was an accident ..." Ed became deathly pale.

"Winry didn't make it ..."

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**_-To be continued-_**

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**Nyago: **Bhwhaha we are evil, LOVE US! And comment or else no updates! -evil grin-

**Taco:** ... And so, the insane amount of Angst and possible Humor begins. Hey, Trisha is utterly adorable, no? Review for Trisha?


	3. Funeral

**Nyago:** We are BACKKKKK :D Did anyone miss us? I hope so.

**Ai:** Hehehe .. I changed names. 3 Enjoy the chapter, okay:D

**Disclaimer:** What part of DO NOT OWN, do you not understand?

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****Daughter  
Chapter 3 -"Funeral"  
****By: Nyago & Fullmetal Ai (Cherry Studios)**

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The rain poured down as Edward and Alphonse stood side by side, Alphonse holding a crying Trisha in his arms, Edward holding an umbrella over the heads of the three of them. There were others who died in the wreck, but Edward's eyes were fixed on the one that held his once lively wife .. the mother of his child .. the one he had fought with just hours before her death. Edward's gaze didn't leave the casket that held the body of Winry during the entire ceremony. He could hear Trisha crying .. he could hear Al comforting the young girl as best as he could, while trying to keep his composure in the process. But he couldn't see them. All he could see was that casket .. and he didn't look away. Not until it was buried. When that happened, it took everything he had just to look at his younger brother, and it almost broke his heart to look at Trisha. However, Ed took his daughter into his arms when she reached out to him, wanting to be comforted by her father. He tried to be the best father he could possibly be in a situation like this .. and he was going to have to be strong. Trisha was depending on him now - her mother was gone forever. 

"Trisha ..?" Ed asked the girl quietly, to see if she was still awake. He sighed when he realized that she had cried herself to sleep.

"She's worn out, huh?" Al commented from Ed's side. Ed nodded. "Good thing we're going home, then." He finished, looking ahead sadly. Ed nodded again, holding his little girl close to his chest as she slept, clutching to his shirt.

It was a long and quiet ride home, one that Ed and Al hadn't experienced since Alfons death that fateful day 6 years ago. During which time, Ed and Al decided to leave Germany to look for a better life. They couldn't return home now, even if they wanted to. Besides, it was not like they were unhappy; just seemly out of place sometimes. One year after his death, Edward encountered Winry, who reminded him of his own Winry he left back home. They became fast friends, and even shared a lot more than Ed and Al did. But there were times Ed would anger Winry, and sometimes she would leave without talking to him for days. That was probably the only difference between his Winry back his world and this one...

No matter how angry Winry from his world got, she always forgave him soon afterwards, unlike the Winry here, who stayed angry for days. But that's probably what got him attached to her. So attached, that one night they made love, a passionate night, something that still burns deep within Ed's soul. She was sweet, gentle and completely understanding...even with his automail arm, she never dared to touch it. Not unless he allowed her.

So different from the Winry back at home...

"Brother, we are home" Al announced, stepping out of the car and opening the doors to Edward's side as he carried sleeping Trisha in his arms.

"I'll go put her in bed," Ed whispered to Al as he walked through the door. At seeing Al nod his head in response, he walked torwards Trisha's room, opening the door and walking in, setting the sleeping girl down on her bed, gently prying her small fingers away from his shirt. As soon as her fingers let go of his shirt, her thumb went to her mouth. Ed smiled, brushing Trisha's bangs out of her eyes and covering the small girl with her blanket. Ed stayed by his daughter's side for a little longer, watching as the girl slept peacefully through the night. He had a small, lopsided smile on his face as he watched her, thinking about everything that had happened during the day.

"Trisha, I hope you can forgive me .." Ed whispered, a pang of guilt striking him. "Your mother loved you very much, Trisha .. and I do too." He leaned down, kissing the girl's forehead, then saying a quick goodnight, heading out of the room and closing the door behind him. He sighed, heading torwards the living room to see if Al was still awake.

"Brother," came a soft whisper. Ed turned his head to see his younger brother standing down below the staircase. His eyes were tired from all the tears he shed today along with Trisha. How can this happen to them? Did they bring the people they love bad luck, or was it a curse? Whatever the case, it made Al sick to his stomach.

"You should go to sleep..." Ed spoke softly as he walked the last few steps down to the living room.

"Brother..." Al began.

"Save it. Right now, what we need is a good night's sleep, it's been a long day and I am too tired to even talk about it." Ed shook his head, bangs covering his swollen eyes. Thinking that Ed was right, Alphonse decided to head to bed. "You should sleep too brother..."

"I will in a minute" Ed replied, not turning around to face Al. Sighing, Al took the silence and began walking upstairs to his room. "Good night" he whispered as he climbed the last few steps up.

Completely out of sight, Ed decided to let himself sink into his sofa, taking a glass of whiskey with him. Ed never thought of drinking, not once in his life. But sometimes he found himself doing it because he said it made him feel better afterwards. He was able to sleep with less troubling thoughts...

Tonight was going to be the longest night of them all. Starting tomorrow, he was a widow, and he had only one thing in his mind. His only daughter Trisha.

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The next morning, Ed was awoken by a small poking in his side. His eyes slowly opened, and he turned to his side, looking to the source of the poking, and seeing his daughter's face. Ed couldn't help but smile when Trisha's face broke into a relieved grin. 

"Daddy!" She cried as she climbed up onto the bed and hugged her father, who in turn hugged her back.

"Hey .. Trisha, what are you doing up?" Ed muttered sleepily.

"Don't die on me, daddy!" Trisha cried into his chest. Ed's eyes widened as realization hit on what she said. His arms instinctively tightened around her small body, and he let her cry into his chest, rubbing her back comfortingly.

"I'm not going anywhere, Trisha," Ed said softly as she cried. In the midst of the moment, Al came into the room; he remained quiet, however, at seeing the solomn scene before him. Ed looked to Al and smiled sadly, which Al returned. He then walked out of the room, back torwards the kitchen, where he had breakfast already cooking.

Walking down the stairs with Trisha in his arms, Ed proceeded to sit down and wait for Al to finish cooking. "What's for breakfast?" Ed asked.

"Eggs, ham and some toast. Sorry if its not enough, I have to go shopping today," Al responded as he set one plate down the table and another in front of his brother. "Trisha, sweetie, you need to eat too." Al stated as he stared down at the young girl who was clinging to her father's chest.

"I am not...hungry." She whispered softly. Although Al didn't hear it, Ed did.

"Sweetheart, you need to eat. Look, daddy is here and so is Uncle Al. We won't leave you sweetheart, we are right here," Edward pointed out as he tried to make his daughter look up at him. He could tell she was crying even while she slept, her eyes were soggy and very red from the lack of sleep. "Did you have a nightmare?" He asked.

"Yes..." She replied, looking up to her father.

"I won't ask you what you dreamt about, but at least try to get it off your mind. Here," Ed grabbed a hold of one of the pieces of toast, he brought it up to her mouth so she could take a bite out of it. Thankfully, she did as told, which made Ed less worried.

Al stared at the two as he sat down at the table. How could anyone think such a tragedy would happen to them...

"There, you see Trisha? That's not so bad .. " Ed smiled as he watched the young girl eat. Trisha finally decided that she was hungry and reached out to take some of the eggs off of the plate, but Ed grabbed her hand gently and shook his head.

"We don't eat it like that, Trisha, we use the fork .." Ed scooped up some of the eggs with the fork and held it out for Trisha to take a hold of. Trisha grabbed the handle of the fork with her small hand and ate the egg off of the end of it, smiling brightly for her father to see.

"Good job!" Ed laughed. Al knew that Ed was being cheerful for the sake of his daughter; while there was a lot of happiness at being with Trisha, there was still sadness coming from him. Al smiled at the scene between father and daughter, amazed that something as simple as eating breakfast could bring the two together like this.

"Uncle Aru!" Al blinked and looked at Trisha when he heard her calling for him.

"Yes, Trisha?" Al asked, smiling at the small girl.

"You need to eat your food! You can't have your strength for the day if you don't!" Trisha said in a chastising voice, causing Ed to laugh.

"Wow, she's better at that than I am!" Ed said, looking to his brother. "You'd better eat it before it gets cold, Uncle Aru!" Ed joked, poking fun once again at the name Trisha had been calling him since she could talk. Al couldn't help but chuckle at the joking tone his brother used.

"Okay, Okay!" Al said with a grin, as he started eating. He wondered how Ed could keep acting happy like this when he knew that it was unbearable; but then again, that was Edward for you. He was a sucker for little kids.

* * *

Breakfast ended and the time to work had begun. "Ah, do you want me take care of Trisha?" Al asked as Ed put his cloak and tie on before opening the door to the front gate. 

"No its fine, I will drop her off at school this morning. Just pick her up after school, I might be running home late today." Al raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure...?"

Ed blinked. "Ah, don't worry, I just have a lot of things to catch up on with my students. Don't worry, I won't be too late. Just around the time for dinner." he smiled, assuring that he was fine, but Al knew better. Ed always worked to get his mind off of things or get away from emotions or reality. That worried Al even more... "Say Bye Bye to Uncle Al, Trisha," Ed smirked, looking down at the young girl clinging to his legs.

"Bye Bye!" Trisha smile as she waved off to her uncle as she began to walk away.

"Come on sweetie, lets take you to school," Ed replied, lifting his daughter up and carrying her to the car, where he began to drive off.

Al stared in the direction of the car for a moment, then went back inside. "Maybe I can get some more rest .." He said quietly to himself. One look at the dishes that needed to be done changed his mind on that matter, though .. he would get some rest later, however.

* * *

Ed had just dropped Trisha off at school, and was on the road torwards the school he taught at. His expression was blank, eyes focused on the road in front of him, only one thought running through his mind at the moment: _Please, let this be an easy day .._ He parked the car in his parking space, getting out of it and grabbing his bags and other such nessecary things. He took a deep breath, then walked into the school, some of his students that passed him by saying their quick hellos as they hurriedly rushed to their respective classes. Ed walked into his own class to find that they were chatting as normal. He smiled. 

"All right, All right, quiet down, it's time to start already!" Ed said as he strided over to his desk, setting his belongings down and walking to the podium at the front of the class, taking a seat behind it. The class quieted down, wondering why their teacher was in class today, though nobody dared to ask. Ed smiled at the class.

"How are all of us today?" The class didn't answer. "Okay, that was rhetorical." The class laughed lightly.

"Shall we pick up where we left off, then?" It would seem that Ed was normal; he had underestimated the fact that a lot of his students were smarter than average, however. About half the class could see that he was hiding what he was really feeling.

* * *

As the children began to play outside, Trisha remained indoors. She was too tired to play, and she already missed her father greatly. "Papa..." She whisper as she began to cry. Wiping her tears from her face, she came in face contact with her school teacher Miss Aiyia. "Oh Miss..." Trisha began, wiping more tears. 

"I heard what happened...I am sorry Trisha." her teacher began, taking a tissue from her pocket and handing it to the small child. "Here. Dry your tears," She said, helping her.

"Thank you..." Trisha whispered, getting her head up she began to see her teacher walk towards the front of the classroom. Miss Aiyia had long beautiful brown hair, green eyes and was very sweet to everyone she spoke with. Sometimes Trisha would see her getting shy around her Uncle Al from time to time. Although Trisha didn't know much about romance, she knew something was up.

Even Uncle Aru acted strange around her...

"Would you like me to call your dad or your uncle?" She asked, looking back at Trisha.

"No, it's fine, Daddy is busy with work and Uncle Aru probably left to work too..." she replied, wiping her eyes a little more.

"Well, if you need anything just ask me. Ok?" Miss Aiyia replied.

"Ok!" Trisha smiled. "I guess I can go outside a play for a bit..." She ran towards the classroom door, hurrying to catch up with her classmates. Maybe she could play a game or two; After all, if her father used work as a distraction, why couldn't she play around to take the pain as well?

_**-End of Chapter-**_

**

* * *

Nyago: **BWAHAH DONE :D Review, they are nice. 

**Ai:** That they are. :D


	4. Meeting You

**Nyago:** Ah sorry we took so long, Florida, you know hurricanes come to us all the time. Yeah….Enjoy the newest chapter!

**Ai:** Moo. Hurricanes SUCK. In any case, enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** ….I hopes we don't need to repeat ourselves so much!

* * *

"Meeting you" 

By: **Nyago** & **Fullmetal Ai** AKA **Cherry Studios**

* * *

It was a typical sunny summer day in Resembool. The wind's breeze blew, dancing inside each open window. The curtains flowed slowly, as the people remained inside for shade. One particular house stood silently on a hill; no noise was heard expect maybe the clicking of water dripping from the sink as it hit the surface. On the sofa there lay a young woman around her early 20's. She was calmly asleep in her position, until she made a quick twist and ended up landing on the nearby floor. 

"Ouch!" She whined as she rubbed her swollen head. "I keep forgetting that the sofa is too small to sleep in…." She sighed, "Well Ed could sleep on it…" almost at the sound of the name, she began to flow back into nothingness, staring at the ceiling as if it was the most interesting thing at that moment. Laying her head down, she sighed again.

"…Stupid short midget…" she cursed under her breath. "Always making me worry about him."

The woman sat up at the sound of the phone ringing nearby. She made a face, not entirely happy about having to get up and answer the phone... However, work always called for it. She sighed, standing up and walking to the phone that continued to ring off the hook.

"Hello, Rockbell Automail! This is Winry, how may I help you?" She said, faking cheerfulness as she answered the phone.

"Hello, Ms. Rockbell ..." The voice on the other end said. Winry smiled.

"Hello, Colonel Mustang. How are things in Central?"

"Can't complain. Listen, do you think you can make an emergency trip to Central? There's a customer waiting here for you."

"In Central? He couldn't find anyone else?"

"He's having trouble getting by. His sister is hoping you could come help. Apparently, she's heard of you." Winry grinned at the comment.

"In that case, I'll be there as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Ms. Rockbell. While you're here, why don't you stay for a bit?" Roy asked.

"That would be just lovely, but I have customers here too!"

"I understand. Well, I'll see you soon."

Hanging up the phone Winry sighed for the third time that very hour. How was she supposed to get to central? Oh, right! The train! Dragging herself upstairs, she decided to make a quick visit to the bathroom before heading to her room. Once she had relieved herself, she took out her suitcase and began to pack her most essential things, clothes, her toothbrush, as well as a few other things. Her tools had been packed many months ago; she always left on business trips like these so she always left her tool box ready to take.

Walking down the stairs again, she passed down the hallway and towards her front door. Waving good bye to Den, she hurried to the train station to catch the earliest train to central. It would take her more than a day to get there…but she will get there none the less. After all what else could be expecting her?

* * *

Racing through the snow, Trisha made her way to her Uncle's arms. "Uncle!" She yelled in excitement, flying the rest of the way to his arms while he swung her around. "I missed you" she whispered in his ear. 

Al laughed as he grabbed the small child in his arms, "I missed you too! How was school?" he asked in his usual sweet tone.

"It was ok, we learned how to make paintings in class without using a brush and we also named a few things…" she replied back.

"Oh!" Came a voice from the doorway of the school; it was Miss Aiyia watching as the kids went home.

"Thanks for taking care of Trisha…" Al mentioned, letting the small child go say goodbye to her friends.

"No problem!" She smiled, "Although I can tell she is hurting…"

"I know…so is her father."

"She's trying to hide it. I'm worried ..." Miss Aiyia said quietly.

"She's a miniature version of my brother, as far as personality goes. I was expecting that she would do that," Al said, watching as Trisha played one last round of hopscotch with her friends.

"I'll try to help in any way I can," Miss Aiyia said with a tiny smile, which made Al smile as well.

"Thank you. She's going need it." There was an awkward silence before Al spoke again.

"So ... um... This Saturday... There's a festival going on in the market ..." Al began, a small blush rising to his cheeks.

"Uncle Aru! I'm ready to go!" Trisha said, running to Al and holding her arms out, indicating that she wanted to be held. Al chuckled and bent down to pick the small girl up. He smiled at Miss Aiyia, the blush lingering.

"So ... uhh ... Saturday?" He asked again. Trisha looked confusedly from her Uncle to her Teacher, wanting to ask, but feeling that she should keep quiet. Miss Aiyia blushed a bit as well, and then nodded.

"Saturday. At Five?" Al nodded.

"See you then!" He said cheerfully, and then began walking away with Trisha in his arms, silently cheering.

"Uncle Aru, where are you going with Miss Aiyia on Saturday?" Trisha asked Al.

"We're just going to ... get to know each other better, that's all," Al replied as best and as honestly as he could. Trisha smiled. As far as she knew, her uncle meant more than just "getting to know each other." It also meant they could end up together. Trisha giggled at the thought.

"Okay!"

* * *

The train ride to central was long, but comfortable. Probably because the entire train was almost empty the entire way, so Winry could enjoy and relax while she had her alone time in her seat. As soon as she stepped one foot outside, General Armstrong had come to greet her. He was informed by Roy that she would arrive to central sometime soon and he was glad to be around to see her. "It's good to see you Miss Rockbell!" He said as he hugged her. 

"Ah…ack!" She tried to free herself from his grasp, no luck and she was running out of air. Thankfully, he let go of her as soon as he noticed.

"I heard from Colonel Mustang that you would be arriving soon!" He smiled, bringing forth his sparkles.

"Ah yes. Well, he told me there was someone I should see..." She tried to recall her conversation with him over the phone. "Actually he never did give me a name…" She wondered.

"Well if that person must see you, then by all means it must be fate!" Another set of sparkles was released.

"Ah…" She sweat dropped.

"We must get you to headquarters, Miss Rockbell! Your destiny waits!" Armstrong turned, taking Winry's toolbox and suitcase from her and beginning to walk, sparkles following like so. Winry made a face. Why, why must it be Armstrong? He was nice, but he took his nobility too far sometimes. She sighed.

"Do you know the name of this boy or his sister, General Armstrong?" Winry asked as they walked.

"Not at all, Miss Rockbell. However, it seems very suspicious. I would advise you to be careful." Winry frowned. Suspicious? Why hadn't Colonel Mustang noticed? The girl must have been pretty, else Mustang probably would have. Winry smiled a little, holding back a laugh. Same old Colonel; even after so many years he hasn't changed, but she guessed sometimes change isn't always good.

"Miss Rockbell, we have arrived." Winry looked up to see that they were standing in front of headquarters. Armstrong saluted, and at the nod of the guards' heads, the two went in. Winry nodded her hellos, following the General inside.

Inside the building, Winry made her way to the office; still wondering...who was this person that needed to see her so badly that they wanted her to come to Central immediately? Could they been such a hurry that they wanted her then and there? It almost reminded her of a certain short blonde alchemist….

With a sigh, Winry made a stop in front of a small door. _Well here goes nothing…_ She thought to herself as she turned the doorknob and walked inside, where a small boy awaited her. He looked like no more than 12 years old, and he had been crying, without a doubt. "Oh," Winry spoke, breaking the silence as she walked in, "Why are you here…?" She asked.

The small boy looked up at her, "Oh, you are the mechanic lady?" he said, pointing out the obvious. Winry nodded her head in agreement.

"My sister sent for you ... my hand ..." The boy started crying again. Winry stood in shock for a moment, then walked over to the young boy and knelt beside him.

"Automail surgery is very painful ... are you sure you want to go through with it?" The boy looked like he was going to answer, but another voice answered for him.

"Of course he does." Winry looked up to see a girl with shoulder-length light brown hair, sky blue eyes, and a thin figure towering above her and the boy. Winry guessed that this girl was his sister. Winry narrowed her eyes slightly at the girl.

"This is for him to decide, you know." A smile came across the girl's face.

"I've advised him not to talk much. He needs to save his energy for recovery. But be assured, he does want the surgery." There seemed to be something different about this girl, and Winry could see it. She couldn't tell whether it was a good thing or a bad thing, though. Before she could answer back, the girl spoke again.

"My name is Nora. You must be Winry, the mechanic." Winry stood and nodded, holding out her hand to be shaken.

"That's right. And your brother's name is ...?"

"Andrew," Nora said simply.

"And he needs Automail for his hand?"

"Yes."

Winry look at the boy's hand again as tears kept streaming down his face. He was in pain and it was very noticeable; His bone was broken but still…why give him such a painful treatment as Automail surgery? Not even grown adults can go through that….

...Only Ed did. And he was a year younger than the boy who sat here.

She sighed. There she went, thinking about him again. Why couldn't Ed leave her thoughts completely? He said he was happy where he was, she heard him! She gave him the best Automail she ever made, with the most expensive metal! Why was she so worried? Was it because Ed and Al left to who knows where, leaving her behind? Or was it that Al left without telling her anything? So many questions, so little time...

Snapping out of her gaze, she looked up to Nora again as she spoke, "Care to follow me first..?" She asked, smiling sweetly.

Winry stared some more. "Why?"

"I have something to show you. I do believe it's important, Miss. Winry," Nora said politely, heading toward the door. Winry sighed, and checked to see that Andrew would be all right before nodding to the military officer who was standing guard over the boy in the room for the moment and following Nora. Winry was led towards a room with a sign on the door that said 'Conference.' Winry became suspicious. Only military personnel had access to this room. Something was up.

"So ... What did you want to show me?" Winry asked after a moment of not speaking. Nora looked back at Winry, then opened the door and stepped inside.

"You'll see." Nora walked even further into the room, Winry following her. Suddenly, Nora stopped.

"Wait here. I'll go get it. We had to hide it, since if it was found, there would be a lot of trouble ..." And with that, Nora disappeared. Winry looked around the room, noticing little tidbits of it - the bookshelf over in the corner, the conference table over on the other side... There seemed to be nothing of much suspicion in the room. She began to wonder what this thing was, and why it would be stored in a place such as this...

Winry walked around some more, looking around the room to see if anything was out of the ordinary. Why did she have an uneasy feeling, like something was going to happen? Since there wasn't much light in the room, Winry tripped over a chair and fell to the ground. "Ouch…" she rubbed her head, "Damn, it's so dark here…and why hasn't that girl come back yet?" she whined then sneezed. "What..?" She touches her finger...white powder? Since when did a conference room have white chalk on the floor?

She stood up, dusting herself off and noticing... "Wait a minute….!" She began, looking around the room...there…were drawings on the floor! "What?" She spoke out loud, "This is….!" Putting her hands to her mouth, she became quiet until she heard a voice.

"That's right…a transmutation circle" It was Nora.

Winry looked in back of her, seeing that Nora was on her knees, smirking as if she were planning something wrong.

"Why!" Winry asked in surprised.

"Because it's time I had a new body," Nora said, slowly lowering her hands to the transmutation circle. Winry's eyes widened and she took the only course of action she could take; that was to run.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light. Then, in front of her stood the gate; the entrance to the world of equal exchange. Before she had time to move her legs again, the gate opened its doors and within the darkness, dark hands grabbed her and took her in, Shutting the door behind her as fast as a blink of an eye.

* * *

Trisha and Al were currently on their way home, Al holding his niece's hand in one of his hands, and using the other to carry his work. They remained quiet for quite some time until Trisha spoke. 

"Uncle…" She started. "If I die…would I meet mommy again?" Al's eyes widened as his grip on her hand became tighter.

"Trisha!" He almost yelled, "Don't ever say that! Do you know how sad your father would be?" He questioned her, seeing that she had her head down. Al sighed. There was no point to arguing...she was just missing her mother,that's whatit was. She would get over it! Al nodded his head.

Trisha turned around and grabbed Al's hand, tugging on it, signaling that she was ready to go again. Though she still cast her gaze downwards, Al could tell that secretly she was happy that she was cared for... and this made Al happy as well.

Suddenly, Trisha let out a short scream, letting go of Al's hand and running towards what looked like a body. Al's eyes widened as he ran after his niece.

"Trisha, wait!" Al yelled as he ran. Once he came upon Trisha, he held her back.

"Trisha! Don-"

"Uncle Aru! Uncle Aru!" Trisha squealed, pointing at the woman who lay in the snow, frozen. Al inhaled, and held it. This was... but it couldn't be... could it?

_Winry?_

Al let go of Trisha and carefully gathered the unconscious girl into his arms. "Here" He handed her his suitcase, "Please carry this for me, Trisha." He asked the girl as he began to walk down the streets of Germany. "Do you think you can be a good girl and not leave my side?" Trisha nodded, and Al began towards home again, Trisha obediently rushing along by his side while carrying her Uncle's suitcase.

This was going to be a long night.

* * *

-To be Continued-

* * *

**Nyago: **Like I said, sorry for the long wait, thanks for all the lovely reviews! 

**Ai:** Hopefully we can get some more lovely reviews! n.n C'mon, make Trisha happy again :D


	5. Mothers

**Nyago: **We sat, we plot and we wrote. :D To be honest, I and Fullmetal Ai were screaming our lungs out writing this chapter. It has SUCH an emotional meaning to us that well...You will get the picture soon, just read the chapter and enjoy!

**Ai:** This is probably my favorite chapter yet, mainly because of the emotional intensity. n.n Like Nyago said, we were practically screaming out lungs out while writing it .. we hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it. Minus the screaming. xD

**Disclaimer:** The same as the LAST 4 chapters. XD

**"Mothers"**

By: **Nyago** and **Fullmetal Ai** (**Cherry Studios**)

The next thing Winry knew, she was laying on something. A very comfortable something, to be honest.. She opened her eyes, her vision coming into focus slowly. She blinked a few times, noticing at once that she was not at the military base anymore.. Wait.. The military base? Nora? Andrew? That transmutation circle? The Gate? It was all rushing back to her now at full speed, and she sat up quickly, but almost immediately laid back down once again upon feeling lightheaded. She had no idea where she was, but she could only hope it was somewhere with kind people; She could really use some kind hospitality at the moment. Winry turned her head slightly, hearing soft breathing from beside her. When she turned her head, she found herself gazing into the golden eyes of a young girl. The girl grinned, turning around and yelling into the other room as she became certain of Winry's awakening.

"DADDY! UNCLE ARU! SHE'S AWAKE! SHE'S AWAKE!" She squealed excitedly, jumping up and down to prove her excitement. Not long after, two male figures ran into the room towards the small girl, and once Winry took a look at them, her breath caught in her throat.

_Edward .. Alphonse? _

"Winry, I am so glad you are ok!" Al ran towards her, pushing the chair next to the couch and sitting across from her. He sighed in relief.

"Wha...? Where...?" So many thoughts were crossing through her head at that point but none of them seemed to want to stay.

"Relax Winry, I have no idea when you came, how you felt or...whatever happened but I can guarantee that you are safe with Brother and I." He then winked and notice little Trisha looking mad at him. "And Trisha as well..." He smiles softly.

Her thoughts began to click, _Trisha? Ed and Al's mother? Or..._ she notice the small girl in the room, clinging to Edward's arm. _She...has the same eyes as Ed...Wait. Didn't she call Ed 'father'? Does that mean...?_ Winry gasped, feeling pain coming to her chest. "Ah..." She places a hand on her chest, trying to sustain the pain inside.

"Winry? Winry, are you all right?" Al asked, as calmly as he could manage. Winry gave a quick nod as the pain subsided, and Al gave a sigh of relief. Winry looked to Trisha again, noticing that as well as having her father's eyes, the girl looked a lot like .. well .. herself. _But how is that possible?_ Winry asked herself. She knew that Ed was the girl's father, but she couldn't possibly be her mother .. she would have remembered something as big as that. In any case, the daughter of Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, was an adorable little girl. Al caught her staring at Trisha and quickly whispered in her ear "I'll explain it later, if Brother doesn't explain it before me," before standing up and walking over to Trisha, kneeling down to her level.

"Trisha, I think we should let your daddy and Miss Winry talk a little bit .." Trisha looked confused.

"She isn't mommy?" Al shook his head.

"I'm afraid not, sweetie. Come on, let's let them alone for a bit .." With that said, Al lifted the little girl up from the ground and carried her to the kitchen to make her some hot cocoa. Ed didn't seem to recognize that his brother had taken his daughter into another room, and had left him and Winry alone; as far as he was concerned, he and Winry had been alone this whole time, and he had been staring at her. Why was she here? She was supposed to be safe, in Resembool.. in Amestris ..

"Winry .. I-"

"Edward, what's going on ..?"

Whatever words Edward was about to say had gone dry the very second she spoke to him. How could he explain to her that she was no longer in Resembool and will not return ever again? It took him years to adjust to this harsh environment, but he was strong and he had his brother, wife and daughter to carry on with him. But it seems those days of trying to avoid all questions was gone. Winry Rockbell, his childhood best friend was lying on the couch before him. She would ask questions until no end...

Or at least, that's what he thought.

Shaking her head, she tried to lighten up the mood. "Listen...I don't understand ANYTHING right now...I probably NEVER will because you might not explain it, or Al will think that I will never understand, but...for now, let me try to get some rest and call it a day, okay? I've had...a rather unusual day, and then other things, and seeing those...images wasn't helping me at all."

_Images?_ Edward finally moved from his stone-like position, "What images?"

"I saw...this huge gate thing," She began before Ed cut her. "YOU WENT THROUGH THAT THING?" He yelled.

"What?" Winry was now officially confused. "What's wrong with passing a stupid door? It just took me in and I passed out." She rubbed her swollen forehead. Ed ran towards her and checked her body from head to toe, grabbing her arm to check her pulse. "They didn't take anything, did they? You don't feel anything strange at all, do you!" He blurted out.

"No," Winry whispered, looking into his desperate eyes. Whatever that thing was, it kept making Ed worry.

"Edward, what's going on? Why are you so worried about me passing through a GATE? It's just an entryway, a passage into another place, a huge metal object that can either separate or allow entrance to another area. There's nothing special about a GATE. Now, if I could just--"

"Winry, you might not understand this, but I went through something much like that when I lost my arm and leg," Edward explained quickly, leaving Winry speechless. "I just want to make sure that damned thing didn't take anything vital. I don't want you to end up like I did .." Edward was even surprising himself at this point. He never opened up like this, ever, and it had only gotten worse when his wife passed on. Winry was surprised, yet she was glad that he was worried for her safety.

"Well as you can see, Ed .. I'm perfectly fine, nothing broken, nothing completely gone .." Winry said, as normally as she could. Edward frowned.

"I still think we should take you to a doctor. Maybe the doctor can tell if anything internal is missing .."

"Ed, I'm FINE!" Winry said, louder than she had intended it to be, and tried to sit up once more, wanting to move around, wanting out of the building, but she was pushed back onto the couch by Edward.

"Edward? WHAT THE-"

"You need your rest, Winry," Edward said quietly. "You said so yourself." Winry scowled and crossed her arms from where she lay on the couch.

"Fine. Fine. Just leave me alone, okay?" She growled, shifting so that she lay on her side, her back facing toward him. Edward stood up and smiled a little.

"Good. If you are hurt, I don't want it getting worse." With that, Edward left to the kitchen to see his brother and daughter. As Edward entered the room, Trisha squealed and ran to meet her father, and Edward gladly took her into his arms, walking over to a chair and sitting, placing Trisha on his leg. He looked to Al, and knew by the look in his eyes what he was asking.

"She went through the gate, Al. Something is wrong, I just know it .." Edward said with a sigh.

Alphonse sighed, "Maybe she was like me? No equivalent exchange was made?" He wanted to sound hopeful; he wanted to cheer his brother. Ed rubbed his eyes shut with his right hand. "I just hope NOTHING happened..." He began, "But how the hell she got here is what puzzles me. How can Winry get through the gate? She never learned Alchemy before, So..." Ed rubbed his chin.

"Maybe someone else did?" Al pointed out.

"But...why? Why Winry out of all people?" Ed questioned.

"Maybe...they wanted to hurt her? Or maybe she got caught between lines of a fight and there was alchemy involved?" Al tried to sound reasonable. "Whatever happens, lets just let her explain to us in the morning, right now we all need to rest."

"Daddy..?" Ed looked up to see his daughter tugging at his neck collar.

"Yes, sweetie?" He asked, opening his eyes half way.

"...She looks like mommy..." she pointed out. She wanted her mother, she would do anything to see her again...but this lady who looked like her was there...and her father and uncle claim it wasn't her mommy...but someone they knew from long ago. "How come?" She wanted answers.

"It's..."

"It's complicated, Trisha" Al blurted out, getting up from his seat and walking next to them. "Come on... let's get some sleep, okay?" He tried to carry her out of her father's grasp but she simply would not go. "NO!" She screamed. "I want to know WHY!" Tears streamed down her face as she yelled this out.

"Trisha..." Ed wiped the tears from her face. "She is kind of like mommy, but she is not. See, she looks like her, but her personality is totally out of place. She is tomboyish and unladylike, unlike your mother. Just...when she feels better you will get to know her."

Trisha sniffed a little and stared at her father with a scowl on her face. "Promise, Daddy?" Edward smiled and nodded.

"She'll be staying with us for a while, so that should give you some time to get to know her. For now, though, you should get some sleep too! You've got school tomorrow ..." Trisha wiped her tears on her sleeve and smiled a little.

"Okay, Daddy .." Edward smiled, standing up and holding the little girl in his arms, looking to Al with a sheepish expression before walking to the bathroom to give Trisha a bath before tucking her in. Al sighed and shook his head, walking to the living room to check on Winry, who he supposed was sleeping. He peered into the room and saw that her back was turned to him, and her blanket was nearly falling off. Al quietly walked over towards the couch and lifted the blanket, covering her with it as much as he could, and was about to leave when Winry's voice stopped him.

"So, explain why Edward has a little girl now. You said you would, Al." Al turned around and grinned sheepishly.

"You might not understand it, but I think you should know." Winry shifted so that she was looking at him.

"I'll try my best to understand it, then," She said with a tiny smile.

Al sighed, he didn't even have the slightest clue where to begin but Winry assured him to take his time. "Start from the beginning, from when you guys left me," She told him. He stared at her for a moment before he began. He explained what they did after they came from home, what place they were in and now, how Ed had met a lovely young lady a few years back (Though he didn't give her name or much of a description, trying to avoid another onslaught of questions). He explained that Trisha was named after their dead mother because Ed asked his wife (Winry STILL couldn't believe that Ed, out of all people, got married). Then he explained their jobs and how they were doing, leaving out a few details here and there, but nothing serious.

"So...Trisha is her name?" Winry wondered.

"Trisha W. Elric," Al responded.

"What's the 'W' for?" Al swallowed. "I am not sure..." He lied. He moved a bit from his current position. "So...I guess I explained what needed to be cleared...care to explain what's with you?" He was curious to know how Winry got there in the first place.

Winry swallowed hard. "To be honest...I don't know. One minute Colonel Roy Mustang had called me, I went to central and...Everything else is blank." Al softened his expression. "How is everyone?" He missed them. Although he had his brother and a family, he still missed them.

"Fine, Fine. Grandma is still as stubborn as a mule. Roy is still working for the military, and Riza married him."

Al choked, "What? They got married?" He burst out.

Winry blinked a few times before answering, "Yes...why is that shocking? She was on Colonel's butt every single day, WHY not notice the HINTS? Or are you men too macho to notice it?"

"Hey...I resent that." Came a voice from the doorway. Winry looked see who it was; Edward. "Not all of us are idiots...some just takes longer than others to realize what's going on."

Winry smirked. "Oh, that's right. I forgot that some men are complete _geniuses_." Edward rolled his eyes and chuckled. As much as he worried for Winry's safety in this world, it was still good to have her with them, just the same.

"So. You're feeling awake enough to joke around, are you? Why don't you tell me what you remember of the time before now, in Amestris, when you were called to Colonel Dogshit's office?" Winry lowered her gaze to the ground.

"I've already told Al, I don't remember much. Only that I was called to Central to do an Automail installation, and the boy's sister called me in to look at something.. Then the next thing I knew, I was in the middle of a huge transmutation circle, and--"

"WHAT!" Both Edward and Alphonse shouted in unison. They looked to each other, nodding in confirmation.

"In that case, Winry, you're lucky to be alive." Winry was confused.

"... I am?"

"If our suspicions are correct ..." Edward started, "That girl might have been trying to take your body to be her own. You wouldn't have been yourself any longer if that had happened." Winry's eyes widened.

"Winry, what did you do when you found out that you were in the middle of a Transmutation circle?" Alphonse asked, as calmly as he could possibly be.

"Well .. I ran. I mean, I don't think I would want to be in the middle of a transmutation.. Apparently, I wasn't fast enough, seeing as I'm here right now." The Elric brothers looked to each other one more, nodding once more, and then sighing in relief; the worst hadn't happened to their dear childhood friend .. She was more than likely all right.

"You rest now, okay Winry? We'll take you to a doctor in the morning, just to be sure you're all right," Edward said softly, kneeling down next to her and brushing some of her bangs out of her eyes. "And don't you even think of telling me not to worry." Winry smirked, a slight blush tinting her cheeks.

"Like hell you'll worry," She said jokingly, which made the Elrics laugh a little.

"Goodnight, Mechanic Junkie," Edward said mockingly, walking towards the hallway to his room.

"Goodnight to you too, Alchemy Freak. And by the way, that is not the right way to greet an old friend." Edward laughed again, disappearing to his room. Alphonse looked to Winry and smiled sheepishly.

"I'd better head off to bed too. Do you need anything?" Winry shook her head. "Good. Have a nice rest! We'll see you in the morning!" And with that, Alphonse disappeared to his room as well. Winry turned over to her side again, a smile forming on her face.

"Those two haven't changed that much ... that's good."

Winry lay back once again, and wrapped the sheets around her. It was going to be a long night; she could feel it already coming. For some reason, however, she welcomed it without problems. Tomorrow she would find out what was going on, and even if Al and Ed wouldn't give her an answer, she would find the answers out by herself. With another sigh, Winry closed her eyes and went to the world of dreams.

-To be continued-

**Nyago: **Because? We are evil and we want more reviews :D So press that PRETTY button and submit "Review" It would make little Trisha very happy.

**Ai:** Trisha likes to be happy:D You could also review .. because .. you love us:D C'mon, you can't deny it, you love us. xP


	6. You can never be mommy

**Nyago: **This chapter going to be one of the few strong ones we are going to write simply because it starts to develop the characters a little more than the last few chapters. So we hope you enjoy!

**Ai:** ... -still amused by what was written early on in the chapter- xD Sorry, Sorry, please read to find out what i'm so effing amused about!

**Disclaimer:** What part of Last 6 chapters do you not understand?

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Chapter 6: "You can never be mommy"

By: **Nyago** and **Fullmetal Ai**

* * *

Winry woke up, the sun's rays entering her eyes and making her shut them almost immediately with a groan. From what she had gathered from the day so far, it was most definitely sunny; which usually meant that the snow was going to be melting even further. It also meant that it would be impossible for Winry to get back to sleep, no matter how much she tried... And try, she did. This time, Winry was almost successful in lulling herself back to sleep, when a very sweet, cute, and _loud _giggle entered her ears.

"Trisha! Trisha, you can't just run around the house naked! Come on, to the bathroom!" The voice of Alphonse Elric rang out throughout the house as he chased a squealing five year old girl around. From the words that Al had spoken, Winry could only guess that the youngest Elric was feeling rather playful today. Just the thought of Edward having a daughter was enough to make Winry's lips curl into a smirk; she could never imagine Edward with children, yet he seemed to be so natural with Trisha.

"Having trouble there, Al?" Winry said, smirking as she saw little Trisha escape Al's arms and continue running around. Al sighed in defeat; he knew that when Trisha wanted to play, it was hard to get her to be serious again.

"Only Ed can control her now…" He spoke as he made his way towards Winry. "If Ed were to say "Trisha Elric!" in a really serious tone, she would stop…although I don't mind playing with her a bit."

"I see…" Winry calmly replied as she saw Trisha standing in the doorway of the hall, sticking her tongue out. "Trisha…I think you may want to stop playing, little one. Don't you have school soon?" Winry pointed out.

"….So?"

"Getting ready should be your main priority." Winry replied. It had been a few days since Winry had arrived, and since then she began to act much more different than Trisha's original mother. She was not as silent or content as her mother; she was more outgoing. She had even beaten her father at times during the dinner table and sometimes would try to help Ed get some things done. Although Ed never accepted anyone's help, having someone as bossy as himself around changed his mind.

Trisha remained there, silently starting at her.

"Trisha, I think you should go get yourself cleaned up .." Winry started, but stopped when she saw Trisha stick her tongue out at her and cross her arms.

"You're not my mommy!" Trisha said, looking to Alphonse and giggling as she began running, hoping to run past him and make him chase her once more, only to be caught by her uncle as she ran past.

"All right, Trisha, no more games ... you have to take a bath, young lady, so you can look pretty for school!" Alphonse said with a grin.

"Aww! But I wanna play, Uncle Aru, I wanna play!"

"You can play during recess at school, then!" Al and Trisha's voices both started to die down as they neared the bathroom. Hearing Alphonse talking about Trisha's school made Winry smile again. She had noticed the way Alphonse always anticipated bringing his niece to school, and she also had a feeling as to why that was; it was the opportune moment to have a little bit of fun teasing the younger of the Elric brothers, and teased him she did.

Getting up from her location, she made her way towards the bathroom as she watched Al wash Trisha's back and dry her afterwards.

"Come on!" Al said cheerfully as he wrapped her around in the towel and lifted her body. "Let's get you nice and dressed up!" He finished, walking out of the bathroom and winking at Winry as he passed by.

Winry just smiled and followed. She hadn't seen anyone with so much energy in a long time; Not since she was little and she, Al and Ed used to play together almost every day. How long has she missed those days? She sighed, shaking her head and looking at the image before her. Times have changed and so have people…not everything can remain the same.

Giggling and settling herself, Trisha ran out of the room excitedly. She was clean, dressed and almost ready to go to school.

"Come on uncle Aru! We are going to be late!" She yelled as she ran down the stairs.

"Who's fault is that?" Al followed along. "Trisha! Don't run while going down and up the stairs, you know your father doesn't allow it and neither do I. You could fall and get hurt."

"Aww!" Trisha whined.

"I'll grab my jacket," Winry said as Al passed by her, and Al smiled. Winry had been walking Trisha to school with Al for the past few days, and even though it had been such a short amount of time, it had become routine for the three of them. Every morning, Trisha would be awoken by Alphonse, and then she would run around the house until she finally subjected to taking a bath and getting dressed. Then, Winry would go get her jacket and the three would head off to the school. Once there, Alphonse would see Trisha's teacher (Who Winry had only been briefly introduced to, though she had a feeling that she would be seeing a lot more of her soon) and immediately blush. It happened every day, and she had no doubt in her mind that it would happen again today.

"Uncle Aru, aren't you and Miss Aiyia going to get to know each other tomorrow?" Trisha asked innocently. Alphonse turned so bright a shade of red that he was unable to speak for the next few moments. Winry laughed at Al's expression.

"When was this planned, Al?" Winry said with a smirk, winking at him and causing his face to redden even more.

"The day we found you," Al mumbled so softly that Winry almost didn't hear it.

"When were you planning on telling me? Or Edward, for that matter? Have you even been on a date before, Al?" Winry smirked in satisfaction as Al's face went past the tomato color. She figured that this was enough for now, and that she would learn all about it when they returned home.

Grabbing their nessecary belongings, the three of them headed out the door, Al locking the door behind him once everyone was out.

"Um…Winry.." Al began as he saw Trisha run to the gate of the house to greet the old mail man. "Today I am working late…do you think you can pick up Trisha after school?"

"Eh? No, not a problem. All I am doing is checking the area more. I swear, technology here is so advanced that it's driving me insane! I can't do anything with it!" She teased as she walked side by side with Al. He left a short giggle.

"Thanks," came his reply. Winry smiled.

"Run!" Trisha yelled as she ran towards her school. She was going to be late today for sure!

"Ready?" Al asked.

"Ready!" Winry announced as they both ran behind little Trisha, hurrying to get to school on time.

* * *

As Al, Winry and Trisha made their rush to their respected places, Ed was currently busy teaching his next class. He didn't notice that there were several men around the corners of the room, watching him as he taught.

Many of the students raised their hands and Ed pointed each and every one of them to answer their questions. It was a long progress, but for some it was short and with the amount of time they had, class ended much too quickly for their liking.

"Remember, read pages 194 to 200. The essay on macrodomes is due next week, so if you have any questions feel free to see me during my office hours. That is all, class dismissed!" He announced as the students began to grab their belongings and hurry to their next class.

Sighing tiredly, Ed sat back down in his chair.

"That was a highly educational class, Mr. Elric," Someone spoke. Turning in his chair, his eyes focused on the person standing in the doorway.

"Headmaster Ryu!" Ed scrambled to his feet and extended his arm to greet him.

"What are you doing here sir, if I may ask?" Ed asked.

Headmaster laughed as Ed made the attempt not to fall on his butt as he saw his face. "Well young lad, I came to congratulate you. As a fine and educated professor such as yourself, you deserved a bit of a bonus didn't you?" He smiled.

"Bonus?" Edward asked, confused by the entire concept.

"Yes, Mr. Elric. Your class loves you, and you present the information in an entertaining, yet informative way. You do deserve every bit of the bonus we have here for you," Headmaster Ryu stated with a warm, friendly smile on his face. Edward smiled as well.

"Thank you, Sir .." He replied. There had been disadvantages in his decision to stay in Germany .. for example, missing his friends, and the common way of life of Amestris; but there also came advantages to leaving .. having a boss who didn't have a problem showing that he cared was one of them.

After a bit longer of talking, Headmaster Ryu had left to attend a meeting, leaving Edward to grading papers once again. He sighed. He would much rather be home, with his daughter, his brother and .. Edward smiled a small smile as he realized.

_And Winry_, he thought to himself. _Winry's part of our family now, too._ With that thought, he returned to grading the papers that he was to hand out tomorrow.

* * *

Winry waited patiently for Trisha to be dismissed from school. She, Al and Trisha had run down to her school that morning just in time to see Miss Aiyia greet them, whispering something in Al's ear before leaving to take Trisha to class. Winry was beginning to like Trisha's teacher; She was kind enough to wait for them before class began. She shook her head, looking around for a small, blonde and energetic Elric running around. Finally after a while she notices the blonde hair running towards her at a great speed.

Taking a deep breath, Trisha sinks to the floor and looks up to see Winry kneel down to meet her eyes.

"Ready to go home?" Winry asked.

"Yeah.. hey, where is uncle Aru?" She asked.

"Well, Al couldn't make it today so I told him I would pick you up…."

"I don't need anyone's help!" Trisha yelled as she began to run toward the nearest corner, only to be stopped by few of her friends. Winry sighed. She can help Ed at times, but when it came down to Trisha, she was helpless. Trisha wanted nothing to do with her. From the bits and pieces that she heard from Al, Trisha's mother looked like her. So whenever Winry tried to help, Trisha would kick and scream to get away from her, Saying "You are not mommy!" and running toward Ed's arms, crying.

Winry once again found herself sighing.

Miss Aiyia saw Winry standing by herself and smiled gently, walking over to the blonde woman and standing next to her, watching the children at play as they waited for their parents and relatives to pick them up. Winry noticed after a few moments that Miss Aiyia was standing next to her, and spoke.

"They're a handful, aren't they ..?" Miss Aiyia smiled, looking toward Winry and nodding.

"Yes. I don't mind it, though. It keeps me occupied, and I love each and every one of them as if they were my own .." She sighed softly, looking back toward the children.

"You really want one, don't you?" Winry teased, making a pink tint come to the brunette woman's face.

"With the right man, yes ..." She admitted in a tone so soft that it was almost a whisper.

"With Al," Winry said rather than asked, grinning as she did so. Miss Aiyia smiled at her.

"Very Perceptive," She replied with a small laugh, making Winry laugh as well. There was another moment of silence before Miss Aiyia spoke once more.

"The truth is .. I barely know him. I mean, I know him enough to know that he's very kind, and good with children... and... Well... I don't really know why, but... I'm sort of... infatuated with him ..." Winry patted her on the back gently.

"You two seem to get along pretty well right now, and I've known Al almost my entire life ... I'm sure you'll like him even more after you 'get to know each other' tomorrow." Winry grinned as Miss Aiyia's face became a darker shade of pink. It was then that she realized that they had only been briefly introduced; and she could barely remember her name. She held out her hand for her to shake with a smile.

"I'm Winry. Winry Rockbell." Miss Aiyia looked to Winry, then to the extended hand, smiling and taking Winry's hand with her own, the two shaking hands; a very unladylike gesture, but she supposed it couldn't hurt.

"I'm Rebecka Aiyia ... it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Rockbell." Winry turned back toward the children and sighed.

"I've got to get the little Elric home ..." She said.

"I've noticed that she doesn't particularly like you .." Rebecka said quietly, and then smiled, calling for Trisha to come over. At first, Trisha had hesitated, but she soon made her decision to go see that her teacher had to say to her. Rebecka kneeled down, placing a hand on Trisha's shoulder.

"Miss. Rockbell needs to take you home now ... I know that your Uncle usually takes you home, but since he's unable to come, do you think you could let her take you home? Just for today?"

Trisha nods.

"Alright, then see you tomorrow, sweetie!" Rebecka smiles as she sees Trisha and Winry off toward home. With a sigh, she turned back to her classroom to continue aiding some of the other teachers.

The walk home was a quiet one. Neither Winry or Trisha spoke a word along the entire road home. Winry was just content with being able to do Al the favor, but at the same time she felt rather…odd being around here. She didn't belong here. She may know Al and Ed well, but It didn't mean complete happiness, and with Trisha disliking her…it wasn't making it any easier.

Sighing, Winry decided not to think about it. If Trisha didn't like her, she couldn't blame her. She looked like her mother…what else was Trisha supposed to do?

"How come you look like her, but don't act like her?" Trisha said, breaking the silence.

"…Trisha, I…I am not your mother…I might look like her, but..."

"Why did you come here, then? You torture daddy whenever he looks at you. You remind me of my mommy. Why can't you just go away?"

"…I wish I could." Winry whispered to herself.

"You are just hurting us…" Trisha began to cry.

"…I don't mean.."

"Just go…AWAY! You are not MOMMY!" Before Winry could respond, she saw Trisha run away from her.

"What's going on?" came a voice from the side corner of the house. It was Edward. He was home earlier than usual.

"Daddy!" Trisha turns around and runs towards her father's arms, tears filling her eyes.

"Trisha…what?" Ed caught her in time to lift her into his arms.

"She isn't mommy, daddy! Why can't she go away!"

"Trisha!" Ed voice shook.

"Ed…it's ok," Winry began. "I'll let you two be, ok?" She smiled, walking past them and inside of the house. Ed just stares from the small girl in his arms and then back to Winry, who was currently inside the house. He didn't know what to do, and the worst of it was…the chaos that was just forming right now would get even more dangerous as time continued to pass by.

* * *

- To be continued -

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**Nyago:** BWHAHAH DONE:D Plot finally getting back to angst! YAY! Review. OR ELSE.

**Ai:** Hey! Now we can stop calling her Miss Aiyia! We have a first name for her! I'm going to make a huge, gigantic proclomation thing here .. hehe ..

AND NOW ALL SHALL CALL HER REBECKA! Okay, I'm finished. xD Review! Rebecka needs reviews so that she won't be nervous for her date with Al! Al needs the reviews more, though. xD Review if you believe in the angst and the fluff! -shot for Peter Pan parody-


	7. Expect the Unexpected

**Nyago: **This chapter might bring back that little bit of laughter in all of us :D I hope you all enjoy!

**Ai:** Yeah. xD We have brought in another major OC! Last one, I swear! She's funny, believe me. :D

**Disclaimer:** Nothing changed.

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Chapter 7: "Expect the unexpected"

By **Nyago** and **Fullmetal Ai** AKA **Cherry Studios**

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Days in Germany went horribly slow for Winry. Ever since that fateful day when Trisha had denied her to be near her, Winry had been feeling depressed and low in spirit in every way possible. Having the daughter of your best friend hate you just wasn't in Winry's priority list. If she could, she would leave…Al and Ed were doing fine here anyway. Taking a deep breath and letting out a long sigh, Winry stared out the window from the downstairs curtains, watching as many people ran for shelter as the upcoming rain came pouring down.

"You know, they say that if you sigh, a bit of your soul leaves your body." Winry turned around to face the source of the voice. "But…it's a bit silly, don't you think?" Al smiled. Winry could only chuckle a bit before returning to looking outside again.

"You know she doesn't mean it," He began taking a seat next to her. "She just…doesn't know any better."

"Let's not start this again Al…I don't want her to be angry with you as well."

"She only gets angry when you don't agree.."

"Similar to her father I presume."

"Heh…well yeah." He laughed as she sighed.

There was a moment of silence between the two before Winry, who was still staring out the window, felt Al pat her shoulder gently, offering a comforting gesture.

"Don't worry. It takes a little bit for Trisha to like just about anyone," He said. Winry didn't have to see his face to know he was smiling a tiny smile. Winry looked over to Al sadly.

"Not everyone looks like her mother, do they?" Winry asked, watching as Al's expression softened.

"Point taken." There was another moment of silence before Winry spoke again.

"So, how did your date with Rebecka go?" She felt her lips curling up into a grin. "That was last night, wasn't it?" Al's cheeks were tinted with pink.

"Well, it wasn't exactly a date .."

"Oh, right. You two were 'getting to know each other,'" Winry said, crossing her arms. Al's cheeks became a darker shade of pink.

"Yeah, something like that .." He said in a tiny voice.

"So, how was it? I remember you coming in last night, looking as if you were floating. What was that about? Huh? Huh?" Winry nudged Al in the ribs as she prodded him for an answer.

"I .. uh .. well .. uh .." Al was getting a bit uncomfortable, and it was plain for Winry to see.

"Wow, interesting," Winry laughed, causing Al to chuckle a little bit.

"Well .. we're .. uhh .. going on a "date"," Al made quotation marks with his fingers, "In about a week." Winry would have squealed, had she not been so depressed. She enveloped Al in a tight hug instead.

"That's wonderful! Congratulations, Al!" Winry said with a smile, knowing that Al's face was hot with the blush that was quite plainly on his face.

"T-Thanks," Al laughed, scratching the back of his head.

"Uncle Aru, Uncle Aru, Daddy wants-" Trisha ran into the room, then froze upon seeing Winry. She almost ran out of the room, but instead, she stayed where she was and talked to Al.

"Uncle Aru, daddy wants you to go get groceries for him, can you do that?" Al looked up to see the small girl before him.

"Sure," He replied, standing up from his position and moving next to Trisha. "Shall we?" He smiled at her as she nodded back.

Upon the two leaving the room, Winry stared outside the window once again. If Trisha wasn't going to like her, well…she had to do something about that right? She WAS Winry Rockbell. Not some poor, cheat ass, small girl that was easily pushed around..especially not by a small child. Winry sank more into her seat and sweatdropped. She referred to Ed's child as…small, cute, and sometimes adorable when she wants to. She WAS almost a replica of Ed so…it shouldn't be so hard to get along with her, should it?

Feeling lightheaded, Winry began to lay down when a sudden crash came from the outside of the house. Her senses coming back, she noticed the source of the noise, standing inside the house, a broken door behind her. She was smaller than Ed probably, with red eyes, long pink hair and its place in neat pony tail and a huge angry, scary face to give it away.

"EDWARD ELRIC!" She yelled. Running to the doors, Al and Ed burst in, Ed carrying little Trisha in his arms.

"….You..." Ed points at her, trying to find his voice as he began to lose all senses while his face went completely pale. "…How..?" He asked.

She grinned. "Long time no see, stupid! How is my little Trisha doing?"

"Wai! Aunt Mary!" Trisha yells, jumping from Ed's arms and running towards the door.

"Can't you…make a normal entrance like the rest of us?" Al sighed as he looked at the completely destroyed front door behind her.

"Heh…Yeah well being normal is so overrated," she sweatdropped.

Winry blinked. She was definitely confused, that was certain. Al saw the confused look on Winry's face and decided to explain a little bit.

"Uhh .. Winry, this is Mary.. she's-"

"Why are you explaining to her who I am? I AM her best friend, after all .." Mary said, grinning from ear to ear as Trisha hugged her.

"That's not mommy, Aunt Mary," Trisha suddenly said. "Mommy went to heaven." Mary froze.

"H-How .. When .. did .." Edward slowly backed away as he saw Mary's temper start to build.

"EDWARD ELRIC," Mary said in an entirely evil voice. "GET. BACK. HERE. NOW." Edward froze, and then dashed out the back door, Mary placing Trisha down on the ground and chasing after him. Trisha giggled, Al sighed, and Winry blinked before looking toward Al.

" ... Al .. I want to know more about Edward's late wife. And you know that when I say "more," I mean "everything."" Al gulped. Winry could be just as scary as Mary was when she was motivated enough .. he knew better than to defy Winry when she got that way, yet he was torn by his brother's wishes, as well as the wishes of Winry. Al sighed again, placing a hand to his head.

"This ... Will be a long day ..."

"NOT LONG ENOUGH BEFORE I AM THROUGH WITH HIM!" Mary yelled as she enters the room, carrying in her arms a defeated and bloody Ed behind her.

Al face went place, "Bro-Brother!" he yelled as he ran towards his almost dead body, just as Ed's soul comically decides to leave his body.

Trisha giggled as she embraced Mary. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too pumpkin pie. Now…which one of you will explain what the bloody hell is going on?" She glared at them.

Taking a few moments to bring Ed back to the land of the living, they all sat in the small dinning room to discuss what had happened in the last few weeks. From the time Trisha's mother died, to Winry's unexpected arrival, little by little everything was beginning to make sense, or at least, for Mary.

"So let me get this straight, you had a small disagreement with her and she wanted to go home? So she TOOK the train and it crashed?" Ed nods as his arms are place in front of him and he pressed against it hard enough.

"…Well…that would explain why she never called me during her mother's birthday."

"Look, I am…"

"Ed, its ok," Mary takes a deep breath, "I know it wasn't your fault that the train got wrecked and then…destroyed...but I will NOT forgive you for taking away my BEST FRIEND WHEN YOU MARRIED HER!" Ed gulped

Al placed his hands on Mary's arms and held her back from giving Edward another pummeling.

"All right, All right ... I think Brother's had enough of a beating for one day ..." Al could feel a layer of sweat form on his brow, and he laughed nervously as Mary sent him a death glare before sighing and leaning back into the chair, crossing her arms.

"Bloody hell," She cursed under her breath, directing her death glare at Edward, who gulped once again.

"I ... I'm just ... going to go out here for ... a long time ... yeah ..." Winry said quietly, barely above a whisper, before standing from the table and walking outside, unnoticed by all except Ed and Al. Ed stared after her, a certain sadness in her eyes.

"We should have told her, brother ..." He heard Al whisper softly to him as he sat down. Ed nodded halfheartedly.

"You're damn right you should have told her! The poor girl was confused right from the start! I feel bad for her, with all that's happened ..." Mary frowned, still glaring daggers at Edward. Al laughed nervously.

"Mary, not in front of Trisha ..."

"She probably hears it enough from her _father_ anyway," Mary replied hatefully.

"Hey! I control my language around my daughter!" Edward yelled as he stood, turning around and stomping outside to the front porch, where Winry was currently sitting on the swing.

Trisha looks at Mary. "What does that word mean?" She asked curiously.

"Well, Trisha-" She began, a grin appearing on her face.

"WE'LL TELL HER WHEN SHE'S OLDER," Alphonse interrupted loudly.

* * *

As Al, Mary and Trisha continued with their normal conversations, Ed looked around the outside as he sat next to Winry. Taking a deep breath, he looked down at the floor before speaking.

"Sorry…" He began.

"For?" She asked.

"Not telling you the truth…or, well..Anything, period." He tried to smile but found himself unable to. Winry frowned and looked at him.

"I don't expect much from you anymore."

"Hey…"

"It's true," She interrupted him. "Ever since your mother died, you guys never included me in anything. Even now, your own daughter is doing the same." She intertwined her fingers together. "I just..don't feel like understanding anything anymore. What's the use anyway?"

"There are plenty of uses for it, Winry. For one, the reasons are to understand where you stand."

"So this is a level up, Edward?"

He shook his head. "No, no, you've got it all wrong. I am just saying this because I want you to get used to this…"

"So I am really stuck here?"

"I don't know! I never tried to get back after what happened, neither did Al."

"It's always about you guys isn't it?"

"Hey, wait a minute..you KNOW that's not true."

Winry turned to face Ed, the unshed tears sparkling in her eyes.

"Every time you came home, it was because of repairs. Never to visit. You never even called to let us know that you were all right. You wouldn't talk to me about anything, though I know you wanted to do so desperately. You kept to yourself all the time, never letting anyone in. Al was better at showing his feelings, but it was _you _I was worried about, Ed!" Ed was taken aback by this statement.

"Hey now, Winry .. Calm Down .."

"Calm Down? _Calm Down, _Ed? How do you think all of that made me feel? I know it's selfish, but dammit Ed, we all have the right to be selfish at times!" Tears started rolling down Winry's cheeks as she stood and began walking down the steps of the porch, into the snow. Ed stood.

"Wait, Winry! Where are you going?" He asked as she continued walking.

"Somewhere where I feel more welcome!" Winry responded heatedly, beginning to run. Edward watched her go until she was out of sight, and was about to go back inside when it hit him.

_This .._ Edward thought to himself as his eyes widened. _This is .. like last time .. _He remembered the argument that he and his late wife had had before she left for the train, and his eyes widened even more. _Again .._

Running towards the streets Winry had just ran to, he hurried to catch up to her. His breath became short, his lungs hurting because of the lack of clothing he was wearing. It was, after all, always cold in Germany. Finally seeing the flowing golden hair moving away on the next corner, Ed was determined to run faster. He needed to catch up to her, he needed to let her know that she was special to him even if he had a hard time showing it.

"Winry, wait!" He yelled as he came closer to catching up with her. Turning around slowly, Winry came to face him, still keeping her distance as she began to cross the street.

"What?" She responded hastily.

Before Winry had time to react, a loud noise came towards her; She looked to see a rather large truck moving towards her, beeping for her to move..but she wouldn't. She couldn't move. She stood there like a fool, and the last things she heard were Ed's screams and the truck horns beeping at her.

* * *

**_-To be continued-_**

* * *

**Nyago:** Yes…I am the one that wrote that evil cliffhanger because I am EVIL. Plus I wouldn't mind a bit of reviews to continue on my story…tehehehe.

**Ai:** BUWAHAHA. SUSPENSE. We kill you, ne? xD Okay, now to explain a little bit about Ed dying and coming back .. You know how in anime, they somehow manage to fit in those comical scenes where when someone is reeeeally mad, and they beat up on someone, and they just .. die temporarily? That's what happened here. :3 So! Review, please! Let us know how our most comical chapter yet has gone over with ya'll!


	8. Tell Her

**Disclaimer:** Yay! Ai gets to write the Disclaimer this time! Okay, so, as previously stated in the previous chapters, we don't own Hagane no Renkinjutsushi in any way, shape or form. n.n For those who don't know, Hagane no Renkinjutsushi is the Japanese name for Fullmetal Alchemist, but you didn't need me to tell you that, did you?

**Ai: **We're sorry for the extended wait, ya'll! Lots of things have been going on since our last update. Most of them were pretty damn bad, too. xD; Onwards! -pose, sparkle-

* * *

**Daughter**

By **Nyago** and **Fullmetal Ai (Cherry Studios)**

**_Chapter Eight:_** **_Tell Her_**

* * *

Edward groaned, his eyes slowly opening, then closing again at the bright light that entered them. He heard the soft murmuring of voices throughout the area; his entire body ached. He began to attempt opening his eyes once more, and this time succeeded, thanks to a sudden shade blocking the light from entering his eyes. 

"Mr. Elric?" A male voice asked quietly. Edward's swimming vision began to focus finally, and he saw the face of a man he was not familiar with.

"Where .. Where am I?" Edward groaned, not even bothering to ask who this man was.

"You're in the hospital, Mr. Elric. You're going to be all right." Edward's eyes widened. The memories of what happened earlier were all coming back to him in a flash, and he no longer cared about the aching of his body. He sat up quickly, only to be pushed down again by the man, who he guessed was a doctor.

"W-Winry! Where is Winry? Is she all right? Where is she? I need to see her, let me go!" Edward gasped out as he struggled against the doctor's hold.

"Mr. Elric, you need to rest! She's going to be all right, please-"

"I NEED TO SEE HER!" Edward yelled, struggling a bit more before his body reluctantly gave up and as he lay back down onto the uncomfortable mattress. Looking around, Ed began to notice the room around him. "…Where is she?" He asked again.

The doctor look back at him a bit uncomfortably. "She is just down the corner, Mr. Elric. I assure you, she is fine. A few nasty scratches on her arms and a bit of a big bump on her head, but other than that she is just fine."

Ed took a deep breath. _At least she wasn't hurt as bad as me!_ his mind yelled. "By the way, your family is in the wing, would you like me to get them for you?" Ed stared at the man for a minute.

"…My daughter is among them, isn't she?" He asked.

"I assume you mean the small child I saw earlier crying. Yes, she is here... would you like me to bring her in?"

"…In a little while…" He answered.

"Very well Mr. Elric." With that said and done, the doctor walked out of the room, leaving Ed some time alone to think.

Down the hall where Ed and Winry were currently hospitalized, Alphonse Elric sat, holding onto a sleeping Trisha in his arms. The poor child had fallen asleep after crying herself all the way here. Al couldn't help but feel sorry for her more than himself; she was just a small child…to lose her mom and almost her dad was enough to give shivers down even _his_ spine. Taking a deep breath, Alphonse looked up as he saw a young woman coming towards them.

"Sorry!" She said, coming to stop in front of Al.

"It's ok…" He said softly, "Trisha fell asleep and .. well, I should be going soon. The doctor said he would be out any minute…" He looked back down the hallway.

The brunette woman sighed and sat down next to Alphonse, looking to him worriedly.

"You look so tired ... do you want me to take Trisha for a bit?" Alphonse shook his head.

"No, I'm afraid of moving her," He explained, a small smile appearing on his face. "I don't want to wake her. Thanks for the offer, though, Rebecka .." Rebecka smiled back, taking his hand in her own and squeezing it gently.

"Do you need anything? I could go get you something to eat .." Again, Al shook his head.

"Lost my appetite a while back," He admitted, grasping his fingers around her hand. There was a moment of silence between the three, before Al and Rebecka heard an exasperated sigh coming from the hallway. They looked to see Mary practically stomping down the hallway towards them, crossing her arms as she did so.

"Stupid, Stupid Shrimp ..." She muttered under her breath, looking to Al before taking a seat next to him.

"You'd think that with a brother like you, Ed would know better than to do things like this. ESPECIALLY to women ..." She looked over to Rebecka, and confusion clouded her features. Al noticed, and responded... Or at least, he _tried _to respond.

"Uhh ... Mary, this is Rebecka... she's Uhh .. " He felt his face growing warm, and he looked over to Rebecka to see a slight red tint to her face as well. Mary suddenly grinned.

"Oooohhh ... I see how it is," She joked, punching Al lightly in the arm. "Take care of her, 'kay? Don't be an idiot, like a certain shrimp ..." She frowned and crossed her arms again, leaning back into the chair.

"Bloody Hell," She muttered under her breath. "If the girl dies, he is going to die too, I'll make sure of it .." Al sighed.

"The doctor has already told us that both of them will be fine, Mary."

"That doesn't satisfy my curiosity, here!" She responded.

Al sighed again. "I am sure Winry is fine. From what I heard from the truck driver, Ed pretty much got the nastier part of the collision." He tried to look at it the positive way, or at least let Mary see the bright side to it. But to him, Luck was not part of his life. Mary stared at him with curious eyes.

"…I will still hurt him," She grumbled as Al laughed a bit.

"Should you…show such a temper to Trisha?" Rebecka asked nervously.

"She seen worse. Besides, it's not like I beat him up in front of her. That would be VERY wrong, coming from her aunt who, if that idiotic shrimp can't take care of her, will take her in. Of course…I probably will have to fight Al for her as well," She said as she eyed him.

"Brother may be a bit of an…idiot for lack of better words, but he would never EVER surrender Trisha, even if he has to let himself starve to death to feed her." Al knew his brother loved his daughter dearly; She was the only living thing that was close enough to him. Even though Al and Ed were related, the relationship Ed had developed for his daughter, well, to Al it was a much stronger bond than Ed had with him. After all, he did take part in creating her…

"Sweet, but not touchy enough, Al." Mary commented. "By the way, do you want me to pay for the bills?" She asked.

"What? No! Of course not!" Al started.

"Why not? It's not like I don't have money to spend. I could easily just burn it…" She replied.

"Neither of those two!"

"Someone needs to pay!"

"Brother and I will find a way!"

"Oh no, don't pull that drama crap on me now, boy! You guys are already pointed to getting a bit more money now that Ed was promoted, but I am NOT letting you guys pay now that Trisha might be getting better things. Which, I still insist you should let me buy her clothes!" Mary shot back.

"No!"

"Ahh, c'mon, Al! You _know_ how much you're going to need to pay for everything here .. the bills, because of Ed's stupidity, will be pret-ty high, and I'll bet-"

"Brother and I will find a way to pay for all of it," Al answered calmly. Mary frowned.

"Al, I never expected you to be stubborn about something like this. Ed, yeah, sure, I know he's the stubborn type... but you? Nah," Mary smirked. "Trisha needs some new clothes ... what kind of Aunt would I be if I didn't spoil my little niece from time to time?"

"Mary .." Al sighed, but never got to finish his sentence; at that moment, the doctor walked out into the waiting area, looking around for the family that was waiting for his two newest patients. Finally spotting the group, he walked over to them, a small smile on his face.

"I'm about to go check on Miss Rockbell, however ... I thought you would like to know that Mr. Elric will be all right for sure - he woke up." Al and Rebecka breathed sighs of relief simultaneously, while Mary crossed her arms again, cursing under her breath about idiot shrimps. The doctor looked over to Mary.

"You were just in Miss Rockbell's room, weren't you?" Mary nodded.

"How was her condition?" Mary made a sound of frustration.

"That girl was sleeping like a _log. _I doubt much of anything could wake her up at the moment." The doctor nodded.

"I'll go check on her now." With this statement, he left the room. Rebecka lowered her gaze to the ground, Al grasped Rebecka's hand a little tighter, and Mary sighed in frustration once again. The tension in the room was building once again, and it was getting to the point where everyone was literally on edge.

"I'm paying for the bills…" Mary stated as she walked towards the nurse's desk.

"Mary, I told-"

"No bloody hell buts! I am sick of all of this 'I can do it myself' crap. Sure, I know you guys WOULD pay for it, but that would take too many years. Besides, do you even have your wallet here Al?" She questioned.

Al suddenly began to remember…the only things he DID take were his cloak, Trisha, his ID and…"Oh…OH! I left it!" He finally noticed. Mary sighed, swinging her arms around in the air.

"Just let me take care of it! Stay there!" She replied, moving down the hall.

"Great….of all things to forget, I leave behind the most important thing." Al sighed as Rebecka smoothed his hand with hers.

"Don't worry… besides, if that's supposed to be Trisha's aunt, why not let her help out a bit? I don't want you to force yourself to work so hard Al…I get worried," She replied, kissing his right cheek.

Al smiled nervously at Rebecka, his cheeks turning red from the kiss that was received.

"There's no need to worry .. I'll be fine, honest .." Al said to her, the smile becoming that of reassurance. Rebecka offered a tiny smile of her own in return.

"You're sure?" She whispered, and Al nodded.

"I still don't like the idea of having her pay for this, though .." Al said with a sigh. Rebecka laughed softly.

"I know .. just this once won't hurt, though."

"She knows what she's talking about, Al. You should listen to her!" Mary huffed, sitting down in her normal spot.

"Anyway, all bills have been paid .. and if any tests need to be run, they know who to go to for money." Al opened his mouth to protest, but felt his hand being gently squeezed again and looked over to Rebecka, sighing gently and looking to Mary again.

"Thank you for the help, Mary," Al said with a bit of reluctance. Mary grinned.

"Anytime! As much as I detest shrimpy, I wouldn't want little Trisha to lose her father. Speaking of family, I think I'm going to go check on Winry again, see how she's holding up." With that said, Mary stood and headed over towards the room that held Winry once more. Al and Rebecka looked to each other and smiled. Apparently, Winry had made a friend here in Germany …

* * *

Mary walked quietly down the hallway, carefully looking around to avoid any person that might rush in and bump into her. Although she was in a rather testy mood earlier, she was glad now to be of some help to the boys who took care of her precious niece. It was the last piece of her best friend she had, and Trisha was looking more and more like her mother, much to Ed displeasure. The only thing that made her his child was probably her eyes and hair…but Trisha still held her mother's features in everyway. 

Lightly knocking on the door, Mary stepped in. "Hey! I see you are awake."

Winry looked up from her sitting position to see who had entered, "Why am I here?"

Mary blinks in confusion, "Um….you were involved in an accident, in case you don't remember. What's the matter?" Mary noticed Winry was shaking. "You look shook up."

"I…haven't been in a hospital at all since I was born...or at least hospitalized IN one since then. I have visited others, though…"

The room went silent. Mary then began to chuckle a little bit as she grabbed a chair and sat down next to Winry's bedside.

"Well, it was bound to happen sometime." Winry looked to Mary confusedly.

"You DO want to have kids, don't you?" Winry would have glared if she were up to full health.

"Anyway, you and Shrimpy are both lucky to be alive," Mary sighed. "If the truck hadn't slammed on it's brakes .." she shuddered at the thought. Winry looked back down to her lap, wincing at the soreness of her body in general.

"... I feel like it's my fault," She confessed quietly. Mary looked to her.

"Hmm? What?"

"If I hadn't have run off like that, then .." Winry closed her eyes. Mary sat in silence for a minute before grinning.

"I don't blame you for running off, really." Winry opened her eyes again.

"I mean, I can hardly stand listening to Edward speak sometimes. Seriously, I don't know how poor Al puts up with the guy! Or Trisha's mother, for that matter .." Mary crossed her legs and arms in a huff.

"I was going to kill him if he wasn't already dead .. especially if you were fatally injured, or even dead yourself." Winry managed to smile at the comment.

"You wouldn't really, would you?" Mary smirked evilly.

"Oh, you don't know what I'm capable of .. "

Winry sweatdropped at the woman before her. How could she remain so calm and yet talk something as serious as this? Battling with herself, Winry decided to ask.

"….Is Ed ok?" She _had_ to ask.

Mary nodded her head as Winry sighed in relief.

"That's good."

"Why do you care? You have every right to be angry." Winry put her head down.

"…I know you probably won't understand this, but Ed has lived a very difficult life. Since he was 12, he had to make very harsh decisions...because of the accident."

"Accident?"

Winry put a hand over her mouth. "I mean...!"

Mary looked puzzled but then began to realize.

"Oh! You mean those things he has as an arm and a leg? What did he call them…I know Winry told me once…" Thinking for a minute, she frowned. "AH Auto-auto…"

"Automail?"

"THAT! Wait…how did you know?"

"I made them…"

The room went silent again.

" .. You .. made them?" Winry nodded.

"So .. you've known Edward a lot longer than I thought .." Mary sighed, looking at Winry and finally putting two and two together. Her eyes went wide for a moment, and then she leaned back into her seat, a sad smile playing at her lips.

"I see. So that's why Ed took a special liking to her .. she was identical to you." Winry felt tears coming to her eyes.

"From what I hear, though .. Ed's wife was nothing like me at all .." Mary sighed.

"Nope. Not on the inside. The outside, though .. people could have mistaken you two as identical twins," Mary looked to Winry and stopped, seeing her tears.

"What's wrong?" Winry whispered her answer, and all hell broke loose.

* * *

"THAT BASTARD!" Mary yelled as she stormed out of the room, intent on finding her target. Alphonse looked up and quickly handed Trisha over to Rebecka, rushing over to keep Mary from doing any more damage. 

"Mary, calm down! What did Brother do this time?" Alphonse said, trying to calm the girl down.

"I'm going to KILL him .." Mary said through her teeth. "Let me GO."

"What did he do?" Mary whipped around to face him.

"Did you know about Winry's feelings toward the shrimp! DID YOU KNOW!" Alphonse was taken aback, but soon calmed down and nodded.

"I was aware for a while. Brother, on the other hand .."

"You KNEW and yet you didn't do anything?"

"Brother and I had too much going on! And when we arrived in Germany, it was hard to get use to living here! Then we looked for a job and brother found Win-" Before he could even continue, Mary stormed out of the wing.

"Well that was… expected." Rebecka answered, looking back at Al with a still-sleeping Trisha in her arms. "At least she is still sleeping."

Al chuckled. "I need to talk to brother…this is going to get more and more serious. Can I..?"

"Of course, I will take care of her. Go on." Rebecka smiled.

"Thanks" Al blushed, running toward his brother's room. He needed to get this situation fixed; Whether Winry could or could not go back home, she would be remaining here for a while. That meant not only another mouth to feed but also other expenses. It was not like Winry to sit around home and do nothing…she would find something to do. Besides, he didn't mind taking care of her. After all, it was his punishment for not looking out for her all of those years; it was only fair he got even.

Equal exchange. Its been a while since he heard that…

Alphonse quietly knocked on the door to Edward's room, hearing a quiet voice tell him to come inside. Alphonse smiled a little; he was up, at least. That was good. Alphonse opened the door and stepped inside, looking to his brother and trying not to cringe. To put it plainly, Edward looked horrible. His skin was paler than normal, his golden eyes blank; he just layed in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Alphonse rushed over.

"Brother, you look terrible .." Ed looked over to his brother and offered a tiny smile.

"I probably feel worse than I look. Don't worry, It's nothing I haven't dealt with before." Alphonse wasn't too sure. His eyes wandered over to his arm, silently noting that Winry wasn't going to be too happy about it. With a sigh, Al pulled over a chair and sat beside his brother's bed.

"Brother. Until we can find a way for Winry to go home, we're going to have to find a way to take care of her." Alphonse could see the hurt within Ed's eyes as Winry was mentioned.

"They won't let me see her .. I don't know her condition right now .." Edward said quietly.

"She's fine, Brother .." Alphonse said.

"Al .. I really wouldn't like to talk about financial things right now .. can we just deal with one thing at a time?" Normally, Al would have given into this. However, this had to be discussed.

"I'm afraid not, brother." Edward's eyes closed.

"All right. What about it?"

Al took a deep breath before he spoke.

"Brother…first off, don't get mad at her, because she is already mad AT you. So let's not make this worse, ok?" Ed gave him a shaky look and encouraged him to continue.

"Mary paid our bills."

"She…WHAT!"

"Brother you promised!"

"How can she do that!"

"I told her the same thing but she insisted! You know she is right! We have Trisha to take care of and now Winry! We can't afford anything like this! Besides, it would take us years to pay it all off!"

"Doesn't matter!"

"Brother, listen!"

Ed stared at him, and Al continued.

"It's been taken care of. That, and…Winry. I think you should talk to her. Mary discovered that the reason you…married her best friend was because of our Winry. Brother, Winry is aware you care for her. Why are you trying so hard to …avoid it?"

A hint of pink arose in Edward's cheeks and he looked away from his brother, as though to hide it.

"I don't know what you're talking about," He said in a huff. Alphonse frowned.

"Yes you do. Don't even try to argue with me on that one, because you know I'll win the argument." Edward continued frowning.

"Angry is an understatement for Mary's feelings right now. Unless you talk with Winry about this, she's not going to be satisfied .." Edward made a 'pfft' sound.

"Since when is that woman EVER satisfied?" He responded.

"I won't be satisfied either, Ed." Edward's eyes widened and he looked to Al, who had a look on his face that suggested he was definitely not joking. After staring at each other for a while, Edward finally sighed and sat up painfully.

"Damn. You two will never let me see the end of this, will you?" Alphonse smiled a tiny smile.

"Not this time, Brother." Edward looked deep in thought for a bit.

"Brother?" Alphonse asked a bit worriedly.

"... I don't know what to think anymore, Al."

"Why don't you start by telling her how you feel?"

"..What?" Ed's face flushed. "I can't!"

"Oh yes you can!"

"But…Trisha!"

"I know Trisha wouldn't even begin to understand this, but…I am sure that in time she will let Winry become part of her life."

Ed sighed. "…Fine. But they won't let me see her."

"That can be easily arranged. If I can get Mary into this…"

At the sound of the woman's name, Ed shuddered. "Why her…?"

"She won't let you NEAR her if you don't get on her good side. Remember, you DID take her best friend away. That was something WE sort of did too…"

Ed sighed again; he needed to think things through carefully. If this is how it was going to be from now on, he needed to act now. He wouldn't want an angry Mary after him, but he wouldn't want Winry hurting again because of him. He simply just couldn't tell her that he really did love her…. maybe the care that he showed from time to time would satisfy her but then looking back at his past, he remembered his own wife. She died because he never told her. She was different from his own Winry; she may look like her but their personality totally opposite of each other. Maybe that's what ate Ed inside…maybe he did fall in love with this time's Winry. Maybe whatever he felt wasn't…

"Argh!" Ed groaned in frustration. Someone out there really hated him, and really hated him good.

* * *

_**To be continued.**_

* * *

**Nyago:** YAY FINISHED :D Now time for PLOT TWIST :D So review! 

**Ai:** Plot Twist? OMG. WTF. BBQ.

... Oh, yeah. On a side note, I HAVE FINALLY SEEN THE MOVIE! -pose, sparkle- Yay.


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